Ritter Pharmaceuticals (www.ritterpharmaceuticals.com), a company dedicated to helping individuals live a healthier and happier life style through improved digestion, announced today that it will join the leading lactose intolerance experts around the country at the NIH Consensus Development Conference for Lactose Intolerance and Health in Bethesda, Maryland from February 22-24. The event will discuss topics regarding lactose intolerance and will be focused on answering questions such as the prevalence of lactose intolerance and health outcomes of diets which exclude dairy products.

Today, a significant concern among individuals, including healthcare providers, is that avoidance of dairy products leads to insufficient intake of calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients. These deficiencies may cause weaker bone health, increased risk of bone fractures, osteoporosis and more serious issues such as hypertension, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Despite the risks associated with a dairy exclusion diet, 70% of the time physicians still recommend dairy avoidance to manage symptoms of lactose intolerance.(1)

“Making sure people eat adequate amounts of dairy is essential, but many lactose intolerant individuals do not choose to do so because of painful or uncomfortable symptoms,” said Dennis Savaiano, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University and speaker at the upcoming NIH conference.

“Lactagen®, a product unlike any other on the market, is a dietary supplement program taken over 38 days, developed to help reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance,” said Andrew Ritter, President and CEO of Ritter Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Lactagen®. “Clinical data as well as our customers surveyed have shown that Lactagen® is nearly 80% effective at significantly reducing lactose intolerance symptoms.”

Lactase supplements often prove to be ineffective or unreliable as reported in a recent study showing that only 26% of lactose intolerant individuals were satisfied with taking lactase supplements.(1)

(1) “Physicians’ and Payors’ Perception and Intended Use to Treat Lactose Intolerance.” Study performed by Engage Health, June, 2008.